Week 29 Around Here {2019}

Original Paint // 2018

New paint // 2019

{my grandparents :: pansy & jerry}

{My mom & her two sisters helping Savanna into her gown}

Things that made me laugh this week:

100% accurate.
Me + Carly every morning during the school year.

Celebrating... Josh's 36th birthday with a BBQ & lemon cake here at home.  We invited his parents & brother over to join us, and ended up having the nicest time.  The day started out rough because I was having a migraine, but after the sweetest nap with Carly, I woke up feeling much better and was able to enjoy the evening.  Josh's dad pitched in sweeping my floors, which was just the most touching thing I think he's ever done for me, knowing it needed to be done and I wasn't going to get to it; and his mom did ALL the dishes after our meal, wanting to leave me with a clean kitchen so I could relax after everyone took off. 
As Josh blew out the candles he was making sweetheart eyes with Carly, who was singing her little heart out to her daddy, and I just melted.  I ended the day so thankful for my husband, so glad he was born, and so grateful to the people he was born to.  They are so, so good to us. And we have been so blessed in this life together.

Taking... pictures of Carly in a dress I scored at the Rhea Lana sale last spring for only $10.  I am in love with its vintage look and how sweet Carly looks in it.  I just wonder if I will ever get over having a daughter.  I think never.

Suffering... at least three migraines this week. But maybe it was more.  They all kind of blur together. It was just day after day of suffering.  Truly the worst. 

Reading... Harry's Trees, which was a really sweet, good read that I took slow and enjoyed and loved the ending of; and listening to My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward on audio.  My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward was really interesting and sometimes sad.  I liked it, though. 

Thankful... my mom came and saved us from ourselves at the last minute.  I got really overwhelmed by all the things we had on our "to do" list before getting the house listed on the market.  She flew in to Spokane and all three boys rode with me to pick her up.  When we got back to town she took us shoe shopping and out to eat.  I am SO in love with my new Nikes.  Yay for new walking shoes!

Working... my tail off alongside Josh, Samuel and my mom.  We were mostly painting- Josh and Samuel outside, and my mom and I inside- but we also checked a few other things off the list.  It was an exhausting & grueling few days of work, but by the end, we were so much closer to the finish line- (the finish line being our goal of getting the house ready to go on the market this Friday, the 19th)  It was totally worth all the hard work. 
Josh painted the front door the happiest color of yellow that I picked out at Lowe's, and that coupled with the new house color just makes the whole house look brand new.  I am blown away by the transformation.  My bedroom and closet both look amazing and the rest of the house is getting there.  The kitchen is the main thing that's left.
The most frustrating part is that whoever painted our house the first time used the wrong finishes so when I bought touch up paint, I put satin finish where there had been flat, and flat where there had been eggshell, etc.  Also, Lowe's failed to match the wall color in the majority of our house, so when I went to paint the boys' bedroom wall after some patches, it looked like a patched cow or Dalmatian puppy.  I was SO upset.  All that work for nothing. 

Proud... of the twins who worked on the cinderblock ring around the tree in the side yard.  Josh and Samuel did the measuring and laying of the cinderblock and then the twins sifted the rocks out of the dirt and put it in.  The final touch was all the lava rock we had from the sifting.  It looks so good!!

Inspiring... Wyatt with all our home improvements.  He decided to build a model of our house with the big Duplo Legos, and the details were killing me.  It had a covered front porch, a picnic table in the backyard, and even flowers out front.  I love his attention to detail.

Loving... the picture my dad sent me of my grandparents camping at the place we grew up camping.  They look so happy & so in love.  It just made my heart swell to see it. 

Road tripping... to Vancouver with my mom to attend a family wedding.  It was fun to ride together, chatting and catching up without any interruptions from the littles in my life.  Bless Josh for keeping all four of them while I got away for three days.  Thanks, babe!

Playing... Beanboozled with Milo & my parents.  Oh my GROSS! Spoiled milk? Dirty dishwater? Dead fish? We were laughing so hard and so disgusted.  If you have boys, it's a MUST.

Attending... my cousin Savanna's wedding and capturing some of the moments with her and her groom.  It was so special to be part of her day and spend time with her & her sister Alix. I love them so much and am so glad they're in my life!
Savanna's gown was gorgeous and her wedding was perfect- a simple ceremony at the courthouse, followed by dinner at The Spaghetti Warehouse.  The food was amazing and their vows were so touching.  I love how weddings remind me to be grateful for my love & for the amazing years of marriage Josh and I have shared.

Being... spoiled by my parents who bought me all the books I picked at Powell's.  What!?! So lucky!!!
The Most Fun We Ever Had
The Pigeon Has To Go To School (for the kids)
The Bright Edge of the World
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone
In Every Moment We Are Still Alive
I am most excited for Maybe You Should Talk To Someone, but The Most Fun We Ever Had is a close second.  Gah! So many books, so little time!

Feeling... extra grateful for my mom and sister after spending so much time with them.  We are so lucky to have each other and it's always so fun when we are together.  They just get me, and they love me, and they forgive me, and they grant me grace when I am not my best self.  I just feel so blessed to have them.  What did I ever do to deserve them???

***

{absolutely loved this when I read it}
{so perfect for where we are with selling the house}
{the future is unsure... but there is still room to rest and breathe}

***

Around Here: Week 52 {2018}

Wyatt made a dolphin out his banana!

#accurate

We are ending 2018 feeling really grateful for a lot of things. 

Knowing... we have figured out (at least for the time being) Wyatt's asthma, and we have kept him off oral steroids through three colds now.  I cannot even begin to express to you the freedom this gives me.  He was coughing today, and I realized that it was not giving me instant panic.  I didn't even realize that it used to do that until suddenly today, a year later, it doesn't. What a blessed relief.

Going... almost two weeks seizure free for Logan.  This new medication seems to be doing the trick, and even if it's not, and he has another seizure tomorrow, we have sure enjoyed the respite.  He had his blood drawn today to check his levels and I am feeling really optimistic about this one.

Finishing... 68 books in 2018, surpassing my goal of 60 (and I may even squeeze in one more book this weekend!).  I wrapped up both Winter Garden and One Day in December this week, both of which I LOVED!  Winter Garden was very reminiscent of The Nightingale, also by Kristin Hannah, and One Day in December was like Love Actually in book form. I literally didn't put it down until I finished it today.  (#sorrykids)

Starting... a new book tonight from Book of the Month (which I am so grateful for this year!).  As Bright as Heaven pulled me in from the first page, and I have a feeling that it will be a quick read just like One Day in December was.

Playing... Headbanz which Dashy (our Elf on the Shelf) brought us during one of his last nights here before heading back to the North Pole.  It was a really easy, fun game to play and I think it will be a big hit here for a long time!

Remodeling... our main bathroom!!!  Josh and his brother jumped in to the remodel full tilt this week and it is so exciting!  They tore everything out, and have already fixed the wall that needed replacing, fixed the ceiling that needed patching (from when our roof was leaking), put in electrical, textured the walls, primer'd the walls, painted the ceiling, put in two can lights above the tub, and put in the new tub & surround.
Up next is paint, flooring and bringing in the vanity. They are truly amazing, I tell you!!!

Decorating... cookies with friends last Saturday and enjoying every minute despite being really sick.  The kids had so much fun and it was so good for us to get out of the house.  Carly ate more frosting and m&m's than any two year old should consume, but #yolo, right?!? Hahaha!  I am seriously so blessed by my friends here in our new hometown and I am constantly pinching myself that these people chose me as their friend.

Resting... not enough in the days leading up to Christmas, as life with four kids leading up to the big day rarely allows for much resting.  I was so sick, sneezing and coughing and wanting to do nothing but sleep... it was miserable!  But I didn't want to give up any of our traditions, so I carried on, knowing that once we made it to Christmas, I could rest.

Laughing... at Carly's new favorite game, which consists of simply running as fast as she can all over the house.  Logan captured a few pictures of her doing it in her diaper (which she is always in because she takes off her pajamas at bedtime so she can feel the "cozy blanket". Hah! I have given up trying to keep clothes on her and am just thankful she leaves her diaper alone.) I love the photos he got of her running.  You can really sense her energetic spirit in them.

Making... cinnamon rolls, fudge, Special K bars, no bake cookies and seven layer salad for Christmas day.  I considered cutting something out, but I wanted to make treats for our friends & neighbors, and just felt it wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't have our traditional cinnamon rolls (we call them cinnamon rolls, but I've heard they are more accurately called caramel rolls) whose recipe comes from my mom's mom who passed away before I was born.  Josh really wanted a seven layer salad, as did I, and Special K bars remind me of my Grandma Pansy, who I was really missing this holiday season (she lives at the coast), so I persevered and made all.the.things. despite how I felt.
It was totally worth it on Christmas day when we stuffed ourselves silly with all the delicious things!

Opening... books and stuffed animals with the kids on Christmas Eve, as is our tradition.  We enjoyed snuggling up and reading new books, especially the twins who got fluffy gray bedrest pillows after loving Wyatt's so much all year.  This is one of my favorite family traditions and one I hope we continue forever!
For Christmas I got Being Mortal, Reading People, Calling Me Home, and It's Not Supposed To Be This Way.  I am so excited to read them next year!  They have all come highly recommended.

Watching... the boys open keys from Santa that were to four wheelers he had parked in the backyard for them.  Their expressions were priceless, especially since they had checked the garage, and seeing no four wheelers, assumed they weren't getting them this year.  Later on Christmas Day Josh and Uncle Samuel took all three boys out to Grandma & Papa's land to ride.  Josh said they all did really well, taking to driving on their own like naturals.  They had so much fun!
Meanwhile, Carly and I cleaned house (which was much needed between the Christmas morning mess and the bathroom remodel) and then took a much needed nap. 
From Santa Carly got a Team UmiZoomi car with Millie, Geo & Bot and she has not stopped playing with it since.  On Christmas day when I got out of the shower, she had set up her favorite stuffed animals with little snacks alongside her new toys.  So sweet!

Cleaning... Carly up after a little snooze on the couch.  I fell asleep and woke up to Josh saying, "Oh, oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Go see your mom!"  She had opened her chocolate orange (which had been in her stocking) and taken it into her room to eat on her pink bedspread.  There was chocolate ev.er.y.where! Her hands, her face, her hair, her bed, her doorknob... What a mess!  But I got an hour long nap on the couch, and all I had to do was wash her comforter and use half a container of wipes on her and her bedroom door, --so I'm calling it a win. Ha!

Giving... my grandpa a book that I saw on bookstagram and finding out he loves it. (Atlas Obscura) Isn't that just the best feeling ever, when you give a gift and it turns out they love it?!? I think that of all the wonderful things Christmas was this year, that was my highlight.  My grandma texted me this picture of Grandpa reading it in his easy chair, and it nearly brought tears to my eyes. I missed them so much this year, seeing this picture on Christmas day made me really happy.

Enduring... all the bottle flipping, all the time.  The boys are OBSESSED.  They watch videos on YouTube and are constantly trying to flip all.the.things.  So I had to make a rule of no bottle flipping in the house.  (After Jack tried flipping a ketchup bottle and Logan flipped the apple juice jug. sigh)  But if I can't find a kid, you can guarantee they are out back or in the garage, flipping bottles to their little hearts content.

Reorganizing... the bookshelf in my room so that all the books are in RAINBOW order!  I have seen other readers do this with their shelves, but have never tried it myself. First, I thought it would be much more difficult to do than it was, and then I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, because I normally organize them based on genre or author... but in the end, I am really happy with how it turned out. It was super easy to do, and I absolutely LOVE how it looks!
Up next are my shelves of "to reads" in the living room!

Watching... snow fall on Wednesday and again Friday.  Friday there was finally some accumulation and my kids were SO happy!!!  They went sledding and had a snowball fight.  Wyatt even tried to build a little snowman for Carly with a celery nose.

Loving... these lazy days after Christmas where there is nothing we have to do, and we just get to enjoy being home together.  Josh is working his tail off in the bathroom with his brother Samuel, but the kids are I are able to just lounge about, worrying about little more than some laundry & dishes.
Next week I will have to start thinking about un-decorating, New Year's Resolutions and all the cleaning that needs to be done, but for now, I am just enjoying the couch and some good books!

***